


things will never be as they were

by orphan_account



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Instruments, Jewellery, M/M, miserable references to the inevitability of mortality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 06:11:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12451233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Kravitz is not supposed to keep tokens of his mortal life, and yet.





	things will never be as they were

When Taako insisted on dropping by to 'check out your work digs', Kravitz had honestly had an inkling that something like this would happen. An inkling, but a hazy, unclear one, which of course came into alarmingly distinct focus when he arrived; smirking and self-assured and taking up space with intent.

Now he stretches out on the rug in front of Kravitz' desk, back arched like a cat, radiating satisfaction. "Now who's inappropriate?" he purrs, the words like toffee, thick and golden. His skin is dewed with (real) sweat in the (fake) afternoon light and Kravitz is gripped with a sudden, near-overwhelming compulsion to lick it, taste his exertion.

"Still you," he says, dryly, re-conjuring his clothing. Taako blows a raspberry and resettles, naked, into the rug.

"Your office looks more impressive from this angle," he comments, and frowns slightly, before sitting up, leaning over, pulling the lyre out from the space where it's tucked between desk and cabinet. "Except for this, it's junk, want me to-"

"Don't," Kravitz says, sharper than he intends, grabbing the lyre away from Taako with a speed borne of anxiety and being... not-quite-real. "Don't touch that."

Taako's eyebrows climb towards his hairline and he sits up, still outwardly relaxed, but with a tension to his spine that wasn't there before. "Gonna have to explain that, my dude, it ain't polite to snatch shit."

Kravitz tamps down a sudden flare of protective anger.  _He doesn't know_. "It's... important to me."

"Yeah, no shit."

He winces. "I- learnt on it. It was the first I had. Before I died." He pauses, can't look at Taako's face. "We're not supposed to keep tokens. But I couldn't - of all the instruments I had, this one-" he huffs a small laugh. "I played my first ever chord on it."

Taako has settled his chin on his knee, linked his arms around his shin. "It's got history."

"Yes." Kravitz takes a breath, blows it out, mostly unnecessary but it gives him space to process. "I apologise for snapping."

"It's all good, nerd," Taako tells him, affectionate. "I get it." He waits a beat, then says, "Can I?" and holds out his hand.

Kravitz meets his eyes, meets the smile in them with one of his own, and hands it over. "Yes. Of course."

-

It's months later and Taako has almost forgotten about the lyre incident. It has been the tiniest of stumbles on their journey of coming to know one another outside the bizarre, whirlwind way they'd started. He's comfortable now moving in and out of Kravitz' life, having his  _boyfriend_  (what a fucking trip that was, gods, too weird to look at it too closely, easier to just say it and let people fill in the gaps with their own opinions) moving in and out of his.

But he's - look. He's not a snoop, of course. He's curious, and the weird juxtaposition of the things that are entirely normal about Kravitz - furniture? A fucking  _office_? Performance reviews, for crying out loud? - and the things that are alien, set apart, is too much to bear, primes his curiosity, makes him notice things he normally wouldn't care about. So he pays more than idle attention to Kravitz' habits, routines, idiosyncrasies.

He knows what jewellery Kravitz wears. He knows, more significantly, what jewellery Kravitz  _doesn't_.

It's just a ring, but clearly much more than that - plain band, white gold, clearly expensive but battered. He doesn't want to ask about it, but of course he can't not. He figures it's probably easier for both of them if he does it like tearing off a Fantasy bandaid, so: watching Kravitz' morning routine from his bed, he says, nonchalant, "what's with the ring you only ever look at?"

Tensed shoulders, but he doesn't whirl and start hurling accusations, so. Taako continues, "It's just, you know I've got an eye for shiny shit, and I know there's that one you don't wear. So. What's the deal there, my man?"

"It's my wedding ring," Kravitz says, abrupt, and Taako winces internally. Figured it'd be something like that.

"You said you weren't allowed to have tokens," he says, as gently as he can manage, and Kravitz nods, makes his way back over to the bed, sits on the edge. His posture is always rail-straight, but he's making an obvious effort not to be closed off - hands folded in his lap rather than crossed arms.

"We're not," he agrees, and smiles softly. "You can report me for breaching my employment terms if you like."

Taako scoffs, rolls his eyes. "Not a chance, you know that."

Kravitz sighs, edges closer, so his thigh nudges up against Taako's knee. "I went back to get it as soon as I could, to remember my family." He thumbs absently at his ring finger, at the indent there, obvious now Taako's looking at it. "Now it's more of a reminder that I had one, at all." He looks up, meets Taako's eyes, looking– sad, but resigned. "It's been too long since then, you see."

Taako does wince, this time. "I'm sorry." It's not adequate in the face of living so long that you can't remember anyone you cared about, he thinks, startled by the whip-crack bitterness of it.

"Nono, it's all right," Kravitz is saying, and leans over to thumb at Taako's cheek. "It's just part of who I am, now." He gives Taako a half-smile, Taako knows both of them are thinking the same thing- elves live a long time, but not forever.

"Who you are is gonna get his bones jumped in the shower," he says, matter of fact, and the fragile sense of nostalgia - for something that hasn't even been lost - shatters. Kravitz smiles.

"I'd like that."

**Author's Note:**

> Entirely due to @2impostors on twitter (and the Ao3). Title is from [this](https://genius.com/Clare-bowditch-your-love-walks-with-me-lyrics), and one day I will stop using Clare Bowditch lyrics for everything I post here but. It is not this day.


End file.
